Electrocoagulation
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Electrocoagulation (EC) is a technique used for wastewater treatment, wash water treatment, industrially processed water, and medical treatment. Electrocoagulation has become a rapidly growing area of wastewater treatment due to its ability to remove contaminants that are generally more difficult to remove by filtration or chemical treatment systems, such as emulsified oil, total petroleum hydrocarbons, refractory organics, suspended solids, and heavy metals. There are many brands of electrocoagulation devices available, and they can range in complexity from a simple anode and cathode to much more complex devices with control over electrode potentials, passivation, anode consumption, cell REDOX potentials as well as the introduction of ultrasonic sound, ultraviolet light and a range of gases and reactants to achieve so-called Advanced Oxidation Processes for refractory or recalcitrant organic substances.
Electrocoagulation (EC) is a technique used for wastewater treatment, wash water treatment, industrially processed water, and medical treatment. Electrocoagulation has become a rapidly growing area of wastewater treatment due to its ability to remove contaminants that are generally more difficult to remove by filtration or chemical treatment systems, such as emulsified oil, total petroleum hydrocarbons, refractory organics, suspended solids, and heavy metals. There are many brands of electrocoagulation devices available, and they can range in complexity from a simple anode and cathode to much more complex devices with control over electrode potentials, passivation, anode consumption, cell REDOX potentials as well as the introduction of ultrasonic sound, ultraviolet light and a range of gases and reactants to achieve so-called Advanced Oxidation Processes for refractory or recalcitrant organic substances.
Benefits
Mechanical filtration addresses only two issues in wash rack wash water: suspended solids larger than 30 μm, and free oil and grease. Emulsified oil and grease cause damage to the media filters, resulting in high maintenance costs. Electrocoagulation does not use particle size to provide physical separation. Chemical treatment addresses suspended solids, oil and grease, and some heavy metals, but may require the addion of various flocculants and coagulants as well as pH adjustments for proper treatment. This technology requires the addition of chemicals which can be expensive, messy, hazardous and labor-intensive treatment. This process also requires addition of compressed air for flotation of coagulated contaminants. Generally filtration is used only as a post-treatment phase for polishing.
See also
List of wastewater treatment technologies Industrial wastewater treatment Coagulation (water treatment)
References
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1372466091 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.